YEREVAN. - The legislative facilitation will foster the export of obsidian goods from Armenia.

 Armenian Deputy Minister of Economy Emil Tarasyan told the aforementioned to Armenian News – NEWS.am, commenting on the changes made to the Law on State Duty adopted in May.  According to the changes, the duty for exploiting the obsidian quarry has been lowered from 10 mln to 100,000 AMD annually (i.e. 100 times).

In Tarasyan’s words, the changed legislative base will help not only the rational use of the mines, but also development of small and medium business. Prior to adopting the law, no work was carried out in the obsidian quarries. Souvenir products are produced from obsidian, but the stone is bought or simply taken from sand quarries.  

The domestic consumption has so far constituted 3,000 tons. Four deposits with large resources of high-quality obsidian have been explored in the republic.  

According to the assessment of the Economy Ministry, 1500 tons of subsoil will be obtained from each deposit (from where the stone will be later obtained). In this case, the profit from one quarry will make up the same 10 mln AMD annually (approx. $21,000). “That is, everything they had earned would have been spent on the duty. Apparently, nobody wanted to work at a loss,” the Deputy Minister noted.

Therefore, small amount of ready-made goods from obsidian were produced, practically without being exported. “Two or three dozen kilograms were exported at most, being carried with personal baggage. That is, there was almost no impact on the economy. Now we hope there will be,” Tarasyan concluded.